They have both always been sports enthusiasts. "For me, sports are extremely important," says Kamil Wlotzka. "Running, racing bikes, swimming - I like to be on the move." In this respect, he feels similarly to Rainer Dörrie, who used to do triathlon. The two colleagues have been in sales at Schunk Ingenieurkeramik at the Willich site for two years and work together regularly, for example when it comes to oxide ceramics. And since then, they have been out and about together doing sports every now and then.
"I think sports are a great way to make contacts and get to know each other in the company, too - that's why I'm also a fan of "Schunk läuft!", says Wlotzka. For this year, he had planned to focus more on road cycling. "That's when a former work and marathon teammate told me about Team Rynkeby - that immediately got me excited," Wlotzka says.
Kamil Wlotzka (left) together with other team members at a sponsoring appointment with Willich's mayor Christian Pakusch (3rd from left).
A small idea becomes a big fundraising team
Team Rynkeby - hohes C is a European charity cycling team that undertakes an annual bike ride to Paris to raise money for seriously ill children and their families. The first time this took place was in 2002, when 11 recreational cyclists with ties to Danish fruit juice producer Rynkeby Foods rode their bikes to Paris to watch the finish of the Tour de France. Rynkeby and other sponsors supported the Tour and the team donated the surplus to a Danish children's hospital.
Twenty years later, this has grown into a large charity cycling team with around 2,500 participants from half of Europe, and Team Rynkeby has already raised a total of almost 40 million euros.
Team RheinRuhr at the kick-off in Düsseldorf in fall 2021.
Getting fit for the charity tour
"It was clear to me: this will be my project for 2022," says Kamil Wlotzka. "Kamil then asked me if I wanted to take part, and I immediately thought the project was great," Dörrie looks back. "I've often been on the road in France on my racing bike and I'm happy to do it again now for a good cause."
Since the beginning of the year, the two have been active in Team RheinRuhr - one of four teams in Germany so far. In small groups or with the whole team, they go on rides to get in shape for the trip to Paris, to advertise the donation project and, of course, to win sponsors. The Schunk Group is already a gold sponsor and supports Team RheinRuhr with 2,500 euros. All donations raised by the German team will benefit the German Childhood Cancer Foundation. "By the way, anyone who wants to can also donate privately and contact me about it," adds Wlotzka.
Tour de France in July
On LinkedIn, Wlotzka regularly posts news about the Tour. Throughout the spring, the team will be taking longer and longer rides, including in Holland. And soon they will also be outfitted with the distinctive yellow jerseys and racing bikes that identify them as members of Team Rynkeby.
Then, in July, Wlotzka and Dörrie will undertake their personal "Tour de France": on July 9, they will start from Düsseldorf to Paris together with 38 other cyclists and a technical team as support. "We are both really looking forward to it," says Wlotzka. "It will certainly be very challenging from a sporting point of view, but definitely also an unforgettable experience."
